Dirgni J.
Yelp
I discovered this place last year and am so glad I did. This isn't crappity ass crafts. It is a place to learn artistic crafts.
I took glassblowing and flame work.
Glassblowing was very interesting but too hard for me. I'm really glad I took it for the experience and I would probably do it over again just to try it out. It requires a lot of coordination, so if you are as klutzy as me, you might find it too difficult too.
As described in their catalog, flamework is:
Tthe process of shaping glass rods and tubes into small objects over the flame of a torch. Begin by making beads, pendants and marbles to establish a foundation of technique. As the class progresses, projects will advance to include the creation of solid sculpture and hollow forms such as flowers, holiday ornaments, and perfume bottles. Small class sizes and one-on-one instruction allow students to work at their own pace.
I love this class and the instructor, Jake Vincent, is patient and a great teacher. You don't have to be quite as coordinated to do flamework.
In addition to glass classes, they have classes in clay, metal, fiber, photography, wood, and design and multimedia.
They have a gallery too. I haven't been yet, because the glass studio is in a separate area of Worcester. I've heard its great and intend to go soon. I'll update this post when I get there.
Oh, and it isn't as far from Boston as you think. Check out their catalog on their Website.